Forecasters issued a hurricane warning for much of Florida's Gulf Coast this afternoon as Alberto, the first tropical storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, strengthened ominously and threatened to dump heavy rains on the state.
The storm was about 190 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, in Florida's northwestern panhandle, at 11am (3pm Irish Time), according to the US National Hurricane Center.
"Alberto has the potential to become a hurricane within the next 24 hours," the US forecasters in Miami said, adding to a sense of foreboding in a state hit by eight hurricanes in the last two years, including Katrina, which went on to devastate New Orleans.
Energy experts said Alberto was expected to miss Gulf oil platforms.
Alberto's maximum sustained winds had increased to near 70 miles per hour, and further strengthening was possible, the center said. Tropical storms become hurricanes once their maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph.
Alberto dropped heavy rain on Cuba and was predicted to make landfall north of Florida's heavily populated Tampa-St. Petersburg area tomorrow, cross the state, and then enter the Atlantic.
Tides were rising and rain was starting to fall on Florida's west coast.